Base assemblies, methods and uses thereof

ABSTRACT

The subject matter described herein is directed to a base assembly that includes: a) a frame system; b) a plurality of receiving members coupled to the frame system; and c) at least one coupling apparatus, whereby the coupling apparatus is designed to couple or facilitate the coupling of the base assembly to a load component. The subject matter described herein also is directed to a load assembly that includes: a) a base assembly described herein; and b) a load component. Methods of producing a load assembly include a) providing a base assembly; b) providing a load component; and c) coupling the base assembly and the load component.

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No.60/400935 filed on Aug. 1, 2002, and is incorporated herein in itsentirety.

FIELD OF THE SUBJECT MATTER

The field of the subject matter is base assemblies and base structuresfor use as a support and transport mechanism in industrial andcommercial applications.

BACKGROUND

The telecommunications and data industries have grown exponentially inthe last 5 to 8 years partly because both industries have been able toexpand their customer base from customers that are close to the centerof operations/transmissions to customers who are located a significantdistance from the center of operations/transmissions. Expansion of datatransmissions to customers located at significant distances from thecenter of operations is facilitated by remote sites that are portableand smaller than the center of operations site. The telecommunicationsand data communications industries include those utilities andindustries that provide one-way and two-way data transmission andtransportation. The telecommunications industry also includes wirelesscommunications, wire-based communications and combinations thereof.Wireless communications includes infrared, satellite, antennae, etc.Wire-based communications includes fiber optic cable, conventionalcable, coax cable, shielded and unshielded twisted pair cable, etc.

Remote sites usually contain electrical and telecommunications wiringand components, such as batteries, antennae, circuit boards, keypads andother related components that in many cases can be fragile, relativelyinaccessible and certainly sensitive to the elements and otherenvironmental conditions. Therefore, these remote sites should beenclosed or otherwise contained in a protective enclosure system andshould be relatively easy to assemble, move and relocate, if necessary,without damage to the internal components and wiring.

Remote sites and enclosure systems should be monitored to determine if aneed exists for environmental control and to what degree environmentalcontrol should be implemented, if needed. The enclosure systems may alsoneed to be relocated in order to implement any new environmentalcontrols or to remove any environmental hazards from the remoteenclosure or site.

Also, the enclosure system, remote enclosure system and/or remote siteshould be easy to access and easy to initially assemble and relocate.Often times, in conventional remote enclosure systems, some componentswill be easy to access, swap out and repair; but other components willbe difficult, if not impossible, to access without moving othercomponents around or removing them altogether. The remote enclosuresystem may also need to be moved or otherwise relocated to repair or toupgrade/swap-out the components. The process of repairing, replacing oraccessing difficult to access components can be made more difficultdepending on the site location of the remote enclosure system and theenvironmental conditions surrounding the remote enclosure system, whichis why some enclosure systems must be moved or otherwise relocated inorder to repair, replace or access some components.

With remote enclosure systems, one conventional method of lifting andmoving the system is to attach a rigging apparatus to the top of theenclosure system by eye bolts and lift it with a crane, boom truck orother large moving device or apparatus. Another commonly used method oflifting and moving the system is to use a forklift device with thecabinet or enclosure system sitting on a wooden pallet. Pallets normallyused are unstable for long-term use and storage of the remote enclosuresystem and can be altogether inappropriate for some enclosure systems,such as those that are oversized, unusually heavy or otherwise difficultto control when moving using conventional moving systems.

Another issue that is common with remote enclosure systems and cabinetsystems is that because of design constraints or modifications, thesystems need to be assembled at or close to the remote site in order toaccommodate the design constraints or modifications or in order toaccommodate other issues with the cabinet and/or system. These issuescan be difficult when factoring in environmental conditions or otherconditions, such as the condition of the site or the remote location.

Other industries, such as the wine, liquor, beer and food processingindustries, the chemical manufacturing industry and the pharmaceuticalsindustries, have issues with relocating, adjusting and/or otherwisemoving vats, processing containers, starting materials and otherequipment. Generally, equipment and materials are located on top of apallet or the equipment is physically bolted in place to the floor. Asmentioned, pallets are unstable for long-term use and storage of theequipment and can be altogether inappropriate for some equipment and/ormaterials, such as those that are oversized, unusually heavy orotherwise difficult to control when moving using conventional movingsystems and/or that equipment that must be consistently relocated to becleaned, repaired or used elsewhere in the process. The equipment thatis directly bolted to the floor is generally more stable than thatequipment located on a pallet, but equipment bolted directly to thefloor can be difficult to transport once the bolts are removed, becausethe equipment may be oversized or otherwise difficult to move because ofthe shape of the equipment.

Therefore, there is still a need in industry for a base assembly that a)can be directly coupled and/or fixed to the equipment and/or materialsbeing supported by the base assembly; b) can remain stable despite theweight and/or size limitations of the equipment and/or materials; c) canbe easily used with conventional moving equipment, such as forklifts; d)can provide consistent aeration and reasonably dry conditions under theload component; and e) can be readily expanded, as needed, toaccommodate additional equipment and/or materials.

SUMMARY OF THE SUBJECT MATTER

The subject matter described herein is directed to a base assembly thatincludes: a) a frame system; b) a plurality of receiving members coupledto the frame system; and c) at least one coupling apparatus, whereby thecoupling apparatus is designed to couple or facilitate the coupling ofthe base assembly to a load component.

The subject matter described herein also is directed to a load assemblythat includes: a) a base assembly described herein; and b) a loadcomponent.

Methods of producing a load assembly include a) providing a baseassembly; b) providing a load component; and c) coupling the baseassembly and the load component. Methods of using a load assemblyinclude a) using a base assembly; b) using a load component; and c)coupling the base assembly and the load component.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a contemplated base assembly system.

FIG. 1A shows a contemplated coupling member and/or apparatus.

FIG. 2 shows another contemplated embodiment of a base assembly system.

FIG. 3 shows a contemplated frame system.

FIG. 4 shows another contemplated frame system.

FIG. 5 shows contemplated components of a frame system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In order to facilitate assembling and relocating load components, suchas remote access enclosure systems, remote enclosure systems,radio-equipment cabinets and enclosures and other types of similarsystems and enclosures, and equipment and materials used in the wine,beer, liquor or food processing industries, chemical industry and/orpharmaceutical industry, a base assembly system has been developed thatallows for easy assembling, lifting, moving, relocating and placement ofthe systems, equipment, materials and cabinets previously mentioned.Contemplated base assemblies a) can be directly coupled to the equipmentand/or materials being supported by the base assembly; b) can remainstable despite the weight and/or size limitations of the equipmentand/or materials; c) can be easily used with conventional movingequipment, such as forklifts; d) can provide consistent aeration andreasonably dry conditions under the load component; and e) can bereadily expanded as needed, and in come cases expanded in situ toaccommodate additional equipment and/or materials.

The base assembly system contemplated herein comprises a frame systemand a plurality of receiving members, such as reinforced tubes, thataccommodate the forks of a fork lift or other similar apparatus ordevice so that the cabinet or enclosure system can be easily lifted andplaced at any suitable site or location. The base assembly system alsocomprises at least one coupling apparatus that is designed to couple thebase assembly system to the load component. Load components, such asremote enclosure systems, enclosure systems and cabinet systems, thatare easily coupled to the base assemblies contemplated herein are thosefound in U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No.: 60/379480, thosemanufactured by Purcell Systems, Inc. and similar manufacturers, andthose used by Nokia and similar telecommunications companies.

FIG. 1 shows a contemplated base assembly system 10 coupled to a loadcomponent 50. As shown, the contemplated base assembly system 10comprises a frame system 20 and two receiving members 30. The baseassembly system 10 further comprises a plurality of coupling members orapparatus 40 that, in this embodiment, are nut and hex bolt assemblies,wherein the nut 42, bolt 44 and washer 46 are shown blown up FIG. 1A.The coupling apparatus 40, in this embodiment, fit through holes 48 and52 that are drilled into the frame system 20 and/or the receivingmembers 30 (holes 48) and the load component 50 (holes 52). In thisembodiment, the load component 50 comprises a remote enclosure system orcabinet. In additional embodiments, the frame system 20 may be anchoredto the floor, a concrete slab or underlying surface 60 by using anysuitable anchoring device, such as anchor bolts, weights, adhesives,magnets, screws or any combination thereof (not shown). Holes 62 areshown in FIG. 1 that are designed to be used to anchor the base assembly10 to the floor 60, if necessary. FIG. 2 shows another contemplatedembodiment of the subject matter disclosed herein. In this Figure, acontemplated load component 150, which can be described as a vat ordrum, is shown with a modified base assembly system 110 comprising aframe system 120, receiving members 130 and coupling apparatus 140. Itshould be understood that, especially in FIG. 1, the receiving members,along with the frame system, provide some of the support for the loadcomponent. In other words, in most of the contemplated embodiments, someof the downward force of the load component, when stationary or whenbeing transported, is distributed along the frame system and thereceiving members.

Both FIGS. 1 and 2 show several contemplated frame systems; however, theframe system may generally comprise any suitable design, as long as thedesign goals of the frame system are met. Those design goals are: a)support or lock into place the receiving members; b) support the loadcomponent during movement; c) support the load component whenstationary; and d) allow for expandability when additional loadcomponents or different load components are utilized. For example, theframe system may comprise a rectangular, square, triangular, diamond,pentagon, hexagon or other suitable shape and may further comprise atleast one crossbeam, as shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 3 shows a frame system 220that comprises four beams 222 coupled to form a rectangular framesystem, as opposed to the parallel beam frame system shown in FIG. 1.Crossbeam 224 is added to the frame system 220 to provide additionalsupport for a load component (not shown). FIG. 4 shows a frame system320 that comprises six beams 322 coupled to form a hexagonal framesystem. Crossbeams 224 are added to the frame system 320 to provideadditional support for a load component (not shown).

It should be appreciated that all of the beams may be coupled to oneanother by any suitable manner, including soldering, bolts, adhesives,molding, grips or a combination thereof. It should be furtherappreciated that although several contemplated embodiments list, forexample, four (4) beams 222 and 322, that they may be coupled togetherbefore assembly of the frame system to form one (1) square orrectangular frame. As used herein, the term “mold” or “molding” is usedto describe the process whereby a material is either physically shapedor poured into a mold to form a particular and/or contemplated shape,structure or component. It should also be appreciated that what appearsin the frame system as four (4) beams 222 or 322 may be four (4) beams422, two (2) sets of beams at 90° angles to one another coupled together432 or one (1) square or rectangular beam assembly 434. (see FIG. 5) Asused herein, the term “coupled” can be defined as fastening or otherwisejoining two or more components together. It is intended that the actionof “coupling” the base assembly system to another component can takeplace by using any suitable coupling device, composition, compound orapparatus, such as bolts, adhesives, Velcro, clamps, grips, screws,nails, magnets, suction cups, and any and all related components, suchas washers and nuts.

Contemplated base assemblies and base assembly systems comprise aplurality of receiving members, such as reinforced tubes or channels,that effectively and efficiently allow a transfer device, such as a forklift or other lifting device, to couple with the base assembly systemsuch that the base assembly system and load component can besimultaneously lifted, moved and or otherwise relocated. Receivingmembers are designed as a “female mate to a “male” portion of atransfer/lifting device or apparatus, in that the male portion couplesinside of the female receiving member. Receiving members are coupled tothe frame system by any suitable device or apparatus, such as thosecoupling devices previously mentioned. Furthermore, the plurality ofreceiving members may be placed at any suitable location on the framesystem, as long as the receiving members are positioned to receive atleast part of the lifting mechanism of the fork lift or other liftingdevice, equipment or machinery. Another contemplated frame system issimilar to that shown in FIG. 3 except that there are two additionalparallel receiving members that are perpendicularly situated toreceiving members 230. This configuration allows for easy placement ofthe base assembly-load component couple without worrying about keepingthe receiving members open to be utilized. If another load component isplaced on the side with one set of receiving members, the other set ofreceiving members can be utilized to lift and transport the baseassembly-load component couple. This configuration works well with framesystems having more than four sides, such as the square, rectangular orhexagonal frame systems. It should be understood that there may be setsof two parallel receiving members where each set is situated at about a30 degree angle, about a 45 degree angle or about a 60 degree angle fromanother set of parallel receiving members. These examples show theflexibility at which the sets of parallel receiving members can besituated on or in a frame system.

Reinforcements or reinforcing devices or apparatus to the receivingmembers comprise interlocking support structures, bolted or otherwisecoupled beams or support bars and/or any other suitable structuralarrangement that allows for the receiving members to be a) effectivelycoupled to the load component and b) sufficient support—when coupledwith the reinforcing apparatus or scheme—for the load component at aspecific indoor and/or outdoor site or location.

Contemplated base assemblies also comprise at least one couplingapparatus which is designed to couple the base assembly to a loadcomponent. As already mentioned, holes can be drilled or otherwiseformed in the frame system and the load component and nut/bolt/washerassemblies can be used as the coupling apparatus to couple the baseassembly to the load component. In a more specific example, holes andcorresponding match holes are punched, drilled or otherwise formed inthe beams of the frame assembly and a portion of the load component. Asheer, such as a ¼″ sheer, with a bolt is placed in each hole. The boltmates up with a PEMS® nut that is placed at the corresponding matchhole. The ¼″ sheer controls the compression of the gasket. As usedherein, a PEM® nut or PEM® fastener are specific fasteners that can alsobe described as a self-clinching fastener, a captive fastener or athreaded insert. This method of mating and attaching components ensuresthat there will be little to no damage to the gasket in the field andalso ensures that the compression can be controlled within a desiredspecification. Insulating tape or another method of insulation can alsobe coupled to the frame system at the coupling interface, if needed.These coupling apparatus are similar to and include those described inPCT Application Serial No.: PCT/US02/34800 filed on Oct. 30, 2002, whichis commonly owned and incorporated herein in its entirety.

In some other embodiments, it is contemplated that the “couplingapparatus” could be the weight of the load component. For example, theload component may rest on the base assembly, and by virtue of itsweight and shape, the load component may be very stable and may not needadditional coupling apparatus to keep it coupled to the base assembly.It is also contemplated that the “at least one coupling apparatus” maycomprise any combination of the coupling methods and apparatus describedherein.

A load component may comprise any suitable piece of equipment orcollection of materials that a) needs to be or should be stored off ofthe ground or underlying surface; b) is at least once or occasionallymoved/relocated; c) cannot be easily moved or relocated without anunderlying support system, such as a pallet. Contemplated loadcomponents comprise remote access enclosure systems, remote enclosuresystems, radio-equipment cabinets and enclosures and other types ofsimilar systems and enclosures, and equipment and materials used in thewine, beer, liquor or food processing industries, chemical industryand/or pharmaceutical industry.

Any of these load components may comprise any number of electronicand/or semiconductor components. As used herein, the term “electroniccomponent” also means any device or part that can be used in a circuitto obtain some desired electrical action. Electronic componentscontemplated herein may be classified in many different ways, includingclassification into active components and passive components. Activecomponents are electronic components capable of some dynamic function,such as amplification, oscillation, or signal control, which usuallyrequires a power source for its operation. Examples are bipolartransistors, field-effect transistors, and integrated circuits. Passivecomponents are electronic components that are static in operation, i.e.,are ordinarily incapable of amplification or oscillation, and usuallyrequire no power for their characteristic operation. Examples areconventional resistors, capacitors, inductors, diodes, rectifiers andfuses.

Electronic components contemplated herein may also be classified asconductors, semiconductors, or insulators. Here, conductors arecomponents that allow charge carriers (such as electrons) to move withease among atoms as in an electric current. Examples of conductorcomponents are circuit traces and vias comprising metals. Insulators arecomponents where the function is substantially related to the ability ofa material to be extremely resistant to conduction of current, such as amaterial employed to electrically separate other components, whilesemiconductors are components having a function that is substantiallyrelated to the ability of a material to conduct current with a naturalresistivity between conductors and insulators. Examples of semiconductorcomponents are transistors, diodes, some lasers, rectifiers, thyristorsand photosensors.

Electronic components contemplated herein may also be classified aspower sources or power consumers. Power source components are typicallyused to power other components, and include batteries, capacitors,coils, and fuel cells. Power consuming components include resistors,transistors, ICs, sensors, and the like.

Still further, electronic components contemplated herein may also beclassified as discreet or integrated. Discreet components are devicesthat offer one particular electrical property concentrated at one placein a circuit. Examples are resistors, capacitors, diodes, andtransistors. Integrated components are combinations of components thatthat can provide multiple electrical properties at one place in acircuit. Examples are ICs, i.e., integrated circuits in which multiplecomponents and connecting traces are combined to perform multiple orcomplex functions such as logic.

Telecommunications components include fiber optic cable and otheroptical materials, such as waveguides, data transmission wires andlines, copper wire, coax cable, keyboards and monitors and the like.

As mentioned, the load component may also comprise equipment and/ormaterials that may be used in the wine, beer, liquor or food processingindustries, such as vats, barrels, drums, starting materials,refrigerators, ice, etc. The load component may also comprise equipmentand/or materials that may be used in the chemical and/or pharmaceuticalindustries, such as vats, mixing drums, refrigerators, startingmaterials, finished product, etc.

The base assembly system may comprise any suitable material based on therequirements of the base assembly with respect to a) the load componentto be coupled, b) the cost and availability of materials, c) theenvironment into which the base assembly and load component will beplaced and/or stored, d) the requirements of the manufacturer, and e)any other suitable requirements, such as local, state and/or federalregulations, heat dissipation needs, and insulation needs.

Some contemplated embodiments are formulated out of non-corrosive steel,however, any suitable metal, alloy, composite material, polymer orplastic material, fiberglass or appropriate or suitable material orcombination of materials may be used, as long as the material ormaterials is/are capable of successfully and efficiently meeting theneeds of the base assembly system with respect to the load components,such as the enclosure system or cabinet system, as described above. Asused herein, the term “metal” means those elements that are in thed-block and f-block of the Periodic Chart of the Elements, along withthose elements that have metal-like properties, such as silicon andgermanium. As used herein, the phrase “d-block” means those elementsthat have electrons filling the 3d, 4d, 5d, and 6d orbitals surroundingthe nucleus of the element. As used herein, the phrase “f-block” meansthose elements that have electrons filling the 4f and 5f orbitalssurrounding the nucleus of the element, including the lanthanides andthe actinides. Preferred metals include titanium, silicon, cobalt,copper, nickel, zinc, vanadium, aluminum, chromium, platinum, gold,silver, tungsten, molybdenum, cerium, promethium, and thorium. Morepreferred metals include titanium, silicon, copper, nickel, platinum,gold, silver and tungsten. Most preferred metals include titanium,silicon, copper and nickel. The term “metal” also includes alloys,metal/metal composites, metal ceramic composites, metal polymercomposites, as well as other metal composites.

A load assembly that comprises a base assembly and a load component maybe produced by a) providing a base assembly, such as those describedherein; b) providing a load component; and c) coupling the base assemblyand the load component. A “load assembly” as used herein means anassembly that comprises a base assembly and a load component, such asthose described herein. The steps of providing a base assembly and/or aload component may comprise a) ordering the base assembly and/or loadcomponent from an outside source; b) producing the base assembly and/orload component in house; or c) a combination thereof.

A load assembly that comprises a base assembly and a load component maybe used by a) using a base assembly, such as those described herein; b)using a load component; and c) coupling the base assembly and the loadcomponent.

Base assembly systems contemplated herein also offer at least one of thefollowing benefits/advantages (which are not necessarily intended to beobjects of the invention):

a. Load components can be assembled at any location and easilytransported to the remote site or alternative location.

b. The overall field installation process can be expedited with themajor work steps being completed before the field installation processbegins.

c. Environmentally controlled work spaces can be effectively utilizedbefore the load component is moved to another site that may not beenvironmentally controlled.

d. Costs of remote assembly and field installation can be minimized.

e. Load components are provided with a stable base that can support thesystem and can also provide for easy lifting and relocation.

In some cases, the base assembly systems contemplated herein willcomprise two or more of the benefits and advantages listed above, but itshould be appreciated that base assembly systems contemplated herein mayonly comprise one of the benefits/advantages shown above, and that in noway limits the inherent usefulness of the base assembly system.

Thus, specific embodiments and applications of compositions and methodsto construct and produce base assembly systems have been disclosed. Itshould be apparent, however, to those skilled in the art that many moremodifications besides those already described are possible withoutdeparting from the inventive concepts herein. The inventive subjectmatter, therefore, is not to be restricted except in the spirit of theappended claims. Moreover, in interpreting both the specification andthe claims, all terms should be interpreted in the broadest possiblemanner consistent with the context. In particular, the terms “comprises”and “comprising” should be interpreted as referring to elements,components, or steps in a non-exclusive manner, indicating that thereferenced elements, components, or steps may be present, or utilized,or combined with other elements, components, or steps that are notexpressly referenced.

1. A base assembly, comprising a frame system; a plurality of receivingmembers coupled to the frame system; and at least one couplingapparatus, whereby the coupling apparatus is designed to couple or tofaciliate coupling of the base assembly to a load component.
 2. The baseassembly of claim 1, wherein the frame system comprises at least twoparallel beams.
 3. The base assembly of claim 2, wherein the framesystem comprises at least one cross beam.
 4. The base assembly of claim1, wherein the frame system comprises a square, a rectangular, atriangular or a hexagonal configuration.
 5. The base assembly of claim4, wherein the frame system comprises a rectangular configuration. 6.The base assembly of claim 1, further comprising at least one additionalframe system coupled to the base assembly.
 7. The base assembly of claim1, wherein the receiving members comprise tubes or channels.
 8. The baseassembly of claim 1, wherein the receiving members are structurallyreinforced.
 9. The base assembly of claim 1, wherein the base assemblycomprises steel.
 10. The base assembly of claim 1, wherein the couplingapparatus comprises at least one of a soldering joint, a bolt/nut/washerapparatus, an adhesive component, a molding component, a grip componentor a combination thereof.
 11. The base assembly of claim 10, wherein thecoupling apparatus comprises at least one nut/bolt/washer apparatus. 12.The base assembly of claim 11, where the coupling apparatus furthercomprises a sheer.
 13. The base assembly of claim 12, wherein the sheeris ¼ inch in height.
 14. The base assembly of claim 1, wherein the loadcomponent comprises a remote enclosure system.
 15. The base assembly ofclaim 1, wherein the load component is a wine, liquor or beer barrel ordrum.
 16. A load assembly, comprising: the base assembly of claim 1; anda load component.
 17. The load assembly of claim 16, wherein the loadcomponent comprises a remote enclosure system.
 18. The load assembly ofclaim 16, wherein the load component is a wine, liquor or beer barrel ordrum.
 19. A method of producing a load assembly, comprising: providingthe base assembly of claim 1; providing a load component; and couplingthe base assembly and the load component.
 20. The method of claim 19,wherein the frame system comprises at least two parallel beams.
 21. Themethod of claim 20, wherein the frame system comprises at least onecross beam.
 22. The method of claim 19, wherein the frame systemcomprises a square, a rectangular, a triangular or a hexagonalconfiguration.
 23. The method of claim 22, wherein the frame systemcomprises a rectangular configuration.
 24. The method of claim 19,further comprising coupling at least one additional frame system to thebase assembly.
 25. The method of claim 19, wherein the receiving memberscomprise tubes or channels.
 26. The method of claim 19, wherein thereceiving members are structurally reinforced.
 27. The method of claim19, wherein the base assembly comprises steel.
 28. The method of claim19, wherein the coupling apparatus comprises at least one of a solderingjoint, a bolt/nut/washer apparatus, an adhesive component, a moldingcomponent, a grip component or a combination thereof.
 29. The method ofclaim 28, wherein the coupling apparatus comprises at least onenut/bolt/washer apparatus.
 30. The method of claim 29, where thecoupling apparatus further comprises a sheer.
 31. The method of claim30, wherein the sheer is ¼ inch in height.
 32. The method of claim 19,wherein the load component comprises a remote enclosure system.
 33. Themethod of claim 19, wherein the load component is a wine, liquor or beerbarrel or drum.
 34. A method of using a load assembly, comprising: usingthe base assembly of claim 1; using a load component; and coupling thebase assembly and the load component.